Improvement in processes of making shoes



Unrrnn sm'rne GORDON MOKAY, OF CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS.

PATENT QrF-Ioe IMPROVEMENT IN PRQcEssEs OF MAKING snags- Specification forming part. of Letters Patent No. 190,153, dated May 1, 1877 application tiled December 11, 187d.

I 170 a l whom itmey con ern-t B it known th t I, Goanon MQ A of Gambridse, in the ou ty of Mid se and State o Massa huset have, in e t all ImprovedBrocess of Making Boots and Shoes, of whi h e fol wi g is a sp fic tio In the manufacture of boots and shoes, as now practiced, the upper, drawn closely over the n er s le. a d upon the bottom of a last,

is. confined i position by nails or tacksdriven into t e t rn d-o e edge of t upp r andthe inner sole. After this lasting operation, so called, which may be done, either by hand or by a. machine, the outer sole is applied to the lasted shoe, two or more nails confining it in position, and then the, outer sole is finally secured, either by pegging, nailing, or sewing,

In the, improved process hereinafter claimed the upper is] pressed or crowded over the edge of the last by means of a lasting mechanism provided with lasting devices of usual construction, but preferably provided with jaws to bend the upper closely about the last, or-

the last and inner sole, The shoe, while yet in the lastingmachine, with the edge of the upper held about the last, preferably by, the jaws or equivalent lasting devices of the lasting-machine, or otherwise, as hereinafter named, has applied directly to it an outer sole provided or studded with a row of nails or metallic sole-fastenings, preferably headed nails,

set back from its edge at the desired distance, and then the nails or metallic fastenings held firmly in, but only partially driven into or through the sole, are driven into the turnedover edge of the upper and into the inner sole,

subject of a separate application.

Two or more of these lasting mechanisms will in practice be mounted upon a'movable or rotating frame, so that as one operator at one position manipulates the/lasting devices, to draw over and retain the upper in position, another operator can apply a sole to a shoe previously lasted, and yet in the machine, with its upper yet held in proper position either by the lasting devices, or by a very few nails or tacks.

In this way it is obvious that the outer sole can be applied and secured directly to a lasted shoe held upon the lasting-machine by the,

V lasting devices, thereby obviating the, use of lasting tacks, nails, or appliances to the extent now commonly and necessarily used to hold the upper and inner sole in position to permit the lasted shoe to be removed from the last.-

in g-machine to ajack to receive the outer sole. The gist of this process, therefore, consists in attaching the outer sole to the upper and inner sole while they are held together by the devices thatoperated to draw the upper about the last.

It is obvious that the lasting-jaws may be partially opened after they have been fully closed, in order to permit the application of nails quite near the edge of the sole. In such case there may be used, if necessary, a few lasting-tacks to assist in retaining the upper in place, while the jaws are partially withdrawn.

Figure 1 represents one form of lasting device, and-illustrates one way in which the in-t vent ion may be embodied; Fig. 2, a modified form of jaw, it being like the jaw in the McKay lasting-machine; and Fig. 3a sole with nails.

Fig. 1 shows a bed or platform, a, upon which are supported two or more standards, b b, and lasts 0 c, to hold the uppers to be lasted, and to which soles are to be applied. In this instance the lasting devices consist of heel and toe lasting-jaws d e and d e, and two side jaws f or f, one only being shown. The jaws are mounted upon levers operated by suitable cams on shaft g. When one operator lasts a shoe by means of the devices (1 e f, another operator applies an outer sole, as described, to the lasted shoe held, say, on the lastingmachine, having the jaws d e f.

Instead of the devices shown in Fig. 1 any usual lasting mechanism, with lasting devices adapted to press against and push the upper over the-edge of the last, may be employed.

In Fig. 2 the jaw is like. that used in the McKay lastingmachine. The piece of indiarubber h, as it is forced against the upper, is compressed, and acts to engage the upper at the side of, and stretch it over, the last, the

jaw i acting with it to turn the edge of the upleased at once from the upper, but would yet hold the upper against the side of the last at or near its edge sufficiently close for the app1ication of the outer sole. The part It t0.which i and h are secured is made detachable from the lever Z, to permit the use of jaws of the proper curve for the size of the shoe to be lasted.

In this process it is unnecessary to use tacks or nails, as heretofore, to hold the upper and inner sole together, while the outer sole is beingsecured, although in some kinds of shoes, where the uppers are very still, a few nails may be used, as before mentioned, though the number will be much less than when the last is removed from the lasting-jaws before the sole is permanently fastened to the shoe in the old .way. I

Instead of driving the nails completely down while the shoe .is held by the lasting devices, it is obvious that the nails might be nearly driven, and them completely driven after the shoe was removed from the machine, and the subsequent beating out of the shoe, either by hand or machine, will bring the nails flush with the surface of the sole.

In practice, a broad-faced hammer-like piece of iron, capable of striking a number of nails at one operation: is employed; but this is not herein claimed. I

The nails or tacks set or studded in the sole will be but partially driven. Preferably the points of the nails will not be permitted to quite penetrate the sole. Fig. 3 shows a section of a sole studded with tacks.

Lyman R. Blake has invented some different means of driving tacks or nails in this way. 1

I claim a 1. In the manufacture of boots and shoes, first lasting the upper over the last and inner sole by means of a'lasting-machine, and then applying to the lasted shoe while in the lasting-machine a sole set or studded with nails, and then further driving the nails into the outer sole and into the upper and inner sole, substantially as described.

2. In the manfacture of boots and shoes, the process of applying a sole, loaded or set with nails, as described to a lasted shoe having its upper held in position by the lasting devices of a lasting-machine, and then driving the nails held by the outer sole into the upper held by the lasting devices, or into the upper and inner sole, substantially asset forth.

3. In the manufacture of boots and shoes, the described process of attaching the outer sole to the upper and inner sole by a series of nails or metallic fastenings held by, and partially driven into, the outer sole, from which they are subsequently driven into the upper and inner sole, while the lasting devices hold the upper about the last and inner sole, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I'have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GORDON MGKAY. Witnesses:

G. W. GREGORY, S. B. KIDDER. 

